Members of the Calvert County Ethics Commission presented their latest draft for a revised Code of Ethics, which is designed to bring Calvert into state compliance. The presentation was made to the Calvert County Commissioners during the board’s Tuesday, Sept. 20 meeting.
Maryland’s Annotated Code mandates that counties enact provisions to govern the public ethics of local officials relating to conflicts of interest, financial disclosure and lobbying.
The ethics commission had presented an amended code to the previous board last October. However, due to modifications made by the Maryland General Assembly, the panel had to revisit the rewrite to ensure it was compliant with the new regulations.
“I have reviewed [the revised draft document] and find that it satisfies state requirements pertaining to local ethics codes,” stated Associate County Attorney Pamela R. Lucas in a memo to the commissioners. “This draft has also been reviewed by the commission’s counsel and has received a preliminary review by staff to the State Ethics Commission.”
Lucas stated that the state commission has final approval of Calvert’s ethic’s code.
“We think this is an excellent product,” said Calvert County Ethics Commission Vice Chairman Charles Bucy, who noted Calvert’s code has not been significantly updated since 1982.
In a letter to Commissioners’ President Susan Shaw [R], Bucy stated the commission, with Lucas’ guidance, reviewed the codes for several Maryland counties and municipalities. “We have also taken into account the needs of our own county and the differences among the counties that we reviewed,” Bucy stated.
Calvert’s code of ethics is not applicable to all of the county’s elected or appointed officials. Those not covered in the code are the state’s attorney, clerk of the circuit court, judges of the circuit court, judges of the district court, judges of the orphans court, register of wills, sheriff, Calvert County Health Department, Calvert County Department of Social Services, county school board, county school teachers and employees of all the aforementioned entities and offices.
The code will require those individuals covered by it to take ethics training within one year of appointment or employment and every two years thereafter.
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